Kentucky's Governor Went Rogue (and Got Caught)

There's a serious hooley erupting in Kentucky between Governor Matt Bevin, who is profoundly ignorant of how to be the governor of a state, and Attorney General Andrew Beshear, who had to explain to His Excellency that, no, he just can't ignore the state legislature and cut the budget for the state's universities because he woke up that morning and discovered that he was out of Apple Jacks.

If Bevin does not withdraw the cuts in seven days, Beshear said he'll file suit to have the courts overturn the cuts. Unless there is a declared state revenue shortfall, a governor cannot unilaterally cut appropriations made in the state budget by the General Assembly, Beshear said. He said Bevin's cuts violate state law governing budget reductions, the current budget passed by the General Assembly, and the separation of powers clause in the Kentucky Constitution. "In fact, the governor's position would mean the General Assembly merely suggests how the governor might spend money if he so chooses," Beshear said. "A budget passed by the General Assembly is a mandate, not a recommendation."

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Is this even something that is debatable in an allegedly mature bureaucracy? Well, Bevin thinks it is, and his reply to Beshear is only a traffic update and a male-enhancement commercial shy of being a segment on your favorite radio talk-show.

A document unsealed in federal court last month accused Timothy Longmeyer of taking more than $200,000 in kickbacks. Longmeyer is a former Kentucky Personnel Secretary during Steve Beshear's administration as governor, and he served as deputy attorney general for Andy Beshear until resigning last month. Andy Beshear has said he was assured that no one else in his office was implicated in the scandal. "Given the amount of alleged corruption and personnel problems in the Office of Attorney General and his father's administration, it is clear that he is attempting to deflect attention away from his own challenges," Ditto said in her statement.